Key loop holder



April 6, 1965 so 3,176,489

KEY LOOP HOLDER Filed April 10, 1963 United States Patent 3,176,489 KEY LOOP HOLDER Karl F. Sonntag, Water-town, Conm, assignor to Scoviil Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed Apr. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 271,995 3 Claims. (Cl. 70-456) My invention relates to an improved key loop holder intended to be attached in a flexible key case for the purpose of retaining what are commonly called key loops, and of course, the keys mounted in such loops.

The key loop for which the invention is adapted is for the usual type having a shank with a knob-shaped head positioned at the end of the shank. It i desirable in holders of this general type, to have the locking 1bar arranged for pivoting so that it is not only convenient to operate, but it is reliable in its holding function.

One object of the invention is to devise an improved way of hingedly connecting such a locking bar to the retaining barrel which is not only very secure, but economical to manufacture.

Another object is to devise a key loop holder of this general type consisting of a minimum number of pieces (herein three pieces) preferably all of sheet metal, and which can be economically assembled without any of the difiiculties formerly encountered with separate small coil or leaf springs.

A still further object is to provide an improved key loop holder having all of the above advantages and which at the same time, will have no unsightly bulges or sharp corners resulting from cut-out portions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a portion of a key case equipped with my improved holder;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holder before attachment to the key case;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the locking bar element;

FIG. 7 i a perspective view of the back plate;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view on an enlarged scale, indicating the manner of assembling or releasing a key loop; and,

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view on line 99 of FIG. 3 showing the hinging connection between the locking bar and the key plate barrel.

The front plate of the 'holder, which is made of sheet metal, has a generally flat lower portion 9 and an upper portion 18 bent into a substantially inverted U-shape to provide hollow retaining barrel. Any desired number of transversely extending slots 11 can be cut into the barrel to take care of the desired number of key loops. A typical key loop is indicated as having a loop portion 12, a shank 13 and a head 14. Each of the slots 11 is wide enough so as freely to pass the shank 13 of a key loop, but narrow enough to retain or confine the head 14. As best seen in FIGS. 3 and 8, each of the slots 11 termiuates in a release aperture 15 located in the top wall near the terminal edge of the barrel, each aperture being large enough to freely pass the head 14 of a key loop.

The locking bar 17 is preferably also formed of sheet metal and extends substantially through the lengths of the,

barrel and normally positioned against the inner surface of the top wall of the barrel. The means for hingedly 3,176,489 Patented Apr. 6, 1965 connecting the locking bar 17, as best seen in FIG. 5, consists of a plurality (preferably only two) of narrow hinge tongue 18 extending from the terminal edge 16 of the barrel, being bent inwardly of the barrel, then forwardly and again back toward the inner surface of the barrel to form hook-shaped hinges extending through apertures 19 in the locking bar.

The manual means for operating the locking bar 17 may be simply the curved extension 20 which can be made substantially flush with the outer curved front surface of the barrel.

The third part of the loop holder is a sheet metal base plate having a lower portion 21 underlying the front plate and in face-to-face contact with the lower portion of the front plate, and made secure thereto as by spot welding as indicated at 30. The upper portion, generally designated 22 of the base plate 21, extends under the barrel portion 10 just far enough so that it does not interfere with the action of the locking bar 17 operating in the hinge tongue 18. An elongated spring tongue 23 is struck out from the metal of this base plate to extend along the upper edge of the base plate in a direction generally lengthwise of the barrel, but forwardly at an acute angle and terminating in a flat end portion 24.

The locking bar 17 has means to cooperate with this spring tongue 23, preferably in the form of a lug 25 projecting inwardly into the barrel in front of and bearing against the flat end portion 24 of said spring tongue.

Both the front and base plates may be provided with aligned holes 26 and 27 to receive suitable rivets for attaching the holder to the flexible case, which is generally indicated in FIG. 1 by the numeral 28.

The operation of my improved key loop holder will now be readily apparent. If it is desired to insert a key loop, enough pressure is applied by the head 14 of the loop itself against the locking bar to spring it inwardly, or this may be done by the manual control device 20 in the form of a curved extension on the end of said locking bar. The head 14 of the key loop passes freely through one of the release apertures 15 and the locking bar will snap behind it to lock it in position. To release a key loop, of course, it is necessary to hinge the locking bar forwardly by the handle 20 and withdraw the head 14 of the loop 12 through the aperture 15.

It will be noted that there are no separate small springs to be handled during assembly and that all of the parts can be conveniently made from said metal without any excessive amount of waste.

What I claim is:

l. A holder for key loops, each loop having a shank with a head positioned at the end of the shank Which comprises (a) a sheet metal front plate having a generally flat lower portion and an upper portion bent into a substantially inverted U-shape to provide a hollow retaining barrel having a plurality of transversely extending slots, each slot being of a width to pass the shank of a key loop but to retain the head thereof, each of said slots terminating in a release aperture in the top portion of said barrel, such apenture being large enough to pass the head of a key loop;

(b) a sheet metal base plate underlying said front plate and having a lower portion in face-to-face contact with said lower portion of said front plate, an upper portion extending under said barrel portion, and a spring tongue struck out from the metal of said upper portion and extending forwardly at an acute angle to said back plate into the hollow space of said barrel;

(0) a locking bar extending lengthwise through the in- 3. terior of said barrel and normally positioned against the top portion of the barrel in a position to obstruct said release apertures;

(d) means for pivotally connecting said locking bar to the top wall of the barrel to swing inwardly and downwardly into the interior of the barrel and about an axis extending lengthwise of the barrel;

(e) means on said locking bar engaging over the front surface of said spring tongue whereby it is normally held in position to obstruct said release apertures; and

( manual control means for swinging said locking bar into said barrel away from said release apertures during insertion or removal of a key loop.

2. A holder for key loops as defined in claim 1 wherein 1;,

said means on the locking bar engaging over the front surface ofsaid spring tongue comprises a lug struck out 4 from the material of said bar to project into the barrel to bear against said spring tongue.

3. A holder for key loops as defined in claim 1 wherein said spring tongue extends lengthwise of the barrel except for its forward angle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,667,059 1/54 Duell. 2,680,369 6/ 54 Koelling. I 2,972,880 2/61 Robinson.

FOREEGN PATENTS 876,230 8/61 Great Britain.

M. HENSON WOOD, 111., Primary Examiner. 

1. A HOLDER FOR KEY LOOPS, EACH LOOP HAVING A SHANK WITH A HEAD POSITIONED AT THE END OF THE SHANK WHICH COMPRISES (A) A SHEET METAL FRONT PLATE HAVING A GENERALLY FLAT LOWER PORTION AND AN UPPER PORTION BENT INTO A SUBSTANTIALLY INVERTED U-SHAPE TO PROVIDE A HOLLOW RETAINING BARREL HAVING A PLURALITH OF TRANSVERSELY EXTENDING SLOTS, EACH SLOT BEING OF A WIDTH TO PASS THE SHANK OF A KEY LOOP BUT TO RETAIN THE HEAD THEREOF, EACH OF SAID SLOTS TERMINATING IN A RELEASE APERTURE IN THE TOP PORTION OF SAID BARREL, SAID APERTURE BEING LARGE ENOUGH TO PASS THE HEAD OF A KEY LOOP; (B) A SHEET METAL BASE PLATE UNDERLYING SAID FRONT PLATE AND HAVING A LOWER PORTION IN FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT WITH SAID LOWER PORTION OF SAID FRONT PLATE, AN UPPER PORTION EXTENDING UNDER SAID BARREL PORTION, AND A SPRING TONGUE STRUCK OUT FROM THE METAL OF SAID UPPER PORTION AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY AT AN ACUTE ANGLE TO SAID BACK PLATE INTO THE HOLLOW SPACE OF SAID BARREL; (C) A LOCKING BAR EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THROUGH THE INTERIOR OF SAID BARREL AND NORMALLY POSITIONED AGAINST THE TOP PORTION OF THE BARREL IN A POSITION TO OBSTRUCT SAID RELEASE APERTURES; (D) MEANS FOR PIVOTALLY CONNECTING SAID LOCKING BAR TO THE TOP WALL OF THE BARREL TO SWING INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE BARREL AND ABOUT AN AXIS EXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE BARREL; (E) MEANS ON SAID LOCKING BAR ENGAGING OVER THE FRONT SURFACE OF SAID SPRING TONGUE WHEREBY IT IS NORMALLY HELD IN POSITION TO OBSTRUCT SAID RELEASE APERTURES; AND (F) MANUAL CONTROL MEANS FOR SWINGING SAID LOCKING BAR INTO SAID BARREL AWAY FROM SAID RELEASE APERTURES DURING INSERTION OR REMOVAL OF A KEY LOOP. 